The concept of herd performance through Nutrition Driven Fertility, is not a new one. However the approach of joining up all the key people involved on farm has been one that has been more difficult to establish.

Does enhanced fertility really drive farm profit or is it a poison chalice?
For such a long time now fertility improvement has been high on the agenda of most UK and undoubtedly most global dairy herds. Reality says that in general, fertility is still a major challenge with UK average pregnancy rate still at a miserable 14%.

CMC fully acknowledge the dramatic changes British agriculture has undergone in recent years. Technological advancements have made a significant impact but there still never seems to be enough hours in the day. You will be pleased to hear that help is at hand.

Kyrin Wiggins and Sarah Cann are the integral part of our Ruminant Focus Team which provides high quality support to our team by carrying out a diverse range of technical services on farm. Their efforts are targeted to improving herd health and performance by measuring and monitoring, assisting with statutory recording and providing support to our valued customers.

One of the main reasons that we all love agriculture is that no two days, seasons or farms are the same. At a time where we are seeing an unseasonably warm, dry spell, what can we hope to achieve by ‘controlling the controllables’?
Although the weather is a key influencing factor on grass availability, crop establishment/growth and farmer moods, there is absolutely nothing that any of us can do about it! There are, however, some simple things that we can do for our cows to ensure that they remain as healthy, happy and productive as possible.

Earlier this year myself and Mark Causey organised a farmers trip to Ireland, with the primary focus of looking at how the Irish utilise grass in all forms. The trip included both beef and Dairy units all of which were utilising grass to its full potential either as grazed grass or foraged crop.

11 of us set out on what can only be described as the snowiest morning I have ever seen. At this point, I personally wasn’t sure if we would even make it to Bristol let alone Ireland but after a little bit of a rush we got to Dublin and loaded ourselves into two minivans and set out to our first visit.